WASHINGTON – Having already had one reunion in the nation's capital, David Eckstein is looking forward to a second as soon as possible.

“I can't wait to get back in the lineup,” said the second baseman, who has been out since July 6 with a strained right hamstring.

Eckstein was on schedule to rejoin the Padres on Saturday night, but after taking batting practice and running Friday it was decided he wasn't quite in playing trim.

“I'm close, but it's not exactly where it needs to be and you can't risk coming back too soon with this type of injury,” Eckstein said.

The need for Eckstein's immediate return was tempered slightly Friday night when Luis Rodriguez hit his second homer of the season in the fourth inning and added a two-run single in the sixth for his first three-RBI game of the season in the Padres' 6-2 win over the Nationals.

“I finally did something to help and the best thing was that it helped us win,” said Rodriguez, who is still battling the effects of a left ankle sprain that kept him on the disabled list for almost a month (May 15-June 12).

“It's been bothering me, but I still have to hit more than I've been hitting. It'd be great if I can do that and we can win a couple more games like that.”

Until Rodriguez's breakout game – he had been hitting .121 (8-for-66) since returning from the disabled list – Padres second basemen were hitting .231 with three RBI and one run scored during Eckstein's absence.

Minus Eckstein, the Padres as a team have gone 3-13 and are hitting .211 while averaging almost a run a game less than when Eckstein is hitting second in the lineup.

Of course, the Padres' recent struggles can't be traced directly to Eckstein's absence. But manager Bud Black believes Eckstein is far more valuable to the Padres than his .267 average.

“He's like a coach on the field,” Black said. “We miss that every pitch. Since he's been out, a lot of guys' averages have slipped.”

In Eckstein's absence, the second basemen deployed by the Padres – Luis Rodriguez, the injured Edgar Gonzalez and Oscar Salazar – not only struggled at the plate, they also committed three errors – or three times the number Eckstein committed in 80 games.

The weekend is also special for Eckstein because his older brother Rick is in his first season as the Nationals hitting coach.

“The entire family descended on Washington this weekend,” he said.

The Ecksteins were teammates at the University of Florida in 1996 when Rick's career was ended by an ankle injury.

“Right then he decided he wanted to become a coach,” Eckstein said. “He took assistant jobs at high schools and junior colleges and just started working his way up.”